Ear Hurts When I Hiccup

On the day of our wedding, Liam Hopkins’ childhood sweetheart stood by the bridge, threatening to take her own life. The moment he hung up the phone, he was ready to leave. Desperately, I clung to his sleeve. “Liam, if you walk out that door, it’s over between us!” “Diana! This is a matter of life and death. I’ll marry you, but don’t make a scene!” With those words, he turned and rushed away, leaving me standing alone. Determined, I spun around and completed the wedding vows with another man. But later, he dared to ask why I didn’t wait for him. I laughed coldly. “Belated love? It’s cheaper than dirt.”

On our wedding day, Lily, the apple of Patrick Luther's eye, tried to kill herself. I grabbed onto his sleeve. "Please don't go." He pried my fingers off, one by one. "Don't make a scene. Lily needs me right now." I watched him walk away, laughing until my eyes turned red. If you don't love me, then I'm done with you. “Patrick, this time I'm the one leaving you."

MATURE CONTENT! Minsan nga lang tumibok ang puso. Doon pa sa taong hindi inaasahan. Si Cahaya Villarin, isang dalagang napilitang lumayo, matakasan lamang ang mga magulang na gusto siyang gawing pambayad utang. Napadpad sa isang liblib na lugar kung saan doon namuhay ng payapa, malayo sa mga magulang at magulong syudad na kinagisnan. Pero ang payapang pamumuhay ay bigla na lamang nagbago at gumulo dahil sa lalaking tinulungan. Ano ang dalang pagbabago ng lalaki sa buhay ni Cahaya? Ito ba ang magiging dahilan upang tuluyang makalimutan ang buhay na tikasan o ito ang magiging dahilan upang lisanin ang lugar na pinagtaguan?

Growing up, my mother always told me — choose your fated mate. Otherwise, you'll end up betrayed. But I was convinced Lennox was different. After all, he was willing to give up his position as Alpha for me. So I gave up my own fated mate for him. I even nearly died saving his life, and the injuries left my wolf permanently dormant. But barely two years later, rumors about him and an Omega named Alice were everywhere. And because my wolf was dormant, I couldn't sense a thing. I didn't find out he'd broken our vows until Alice showed up at my door with a pregnancy test. The whole Stonebrook Pack was laughing behind my back. Lennox dropped to his knees, eyes red and swollen. "I'm sorry. I was drunk that night. I'll make her end the pregnancy. I swear." I looked down at our one-year-old son in my arms. I nodded and forgave him — that one time. After that, he behaved. He was attentive, affectionate, doting — until one day, five years later, when I was at the gym. A young woman on the machine beside me was whining. "Everything down there gets so loose after having a baby. I really need to tighten things up." I didn't bother looking at her face. I let out a quiet laugh and started to leave. Then her phone rang. She answered, her voice coy and flirtatious. "So, Alpha Lennox — when are you finally going to end things with that woman? She's old, and she's lost her wolf. Can she even satisfy you?" "Of course not. I miss you so much, baby." I froze mid-step at the sound of his voice.

Once upon a time, the blue of the sky fell in love with the calm of the sea, the clouds in between whispered "Alas." Farisha is the only child to billionaire Alhaji Shehu, she is spoilt, brattish and untamed. Having watched her mother suffer neglect and pain from her ever-busy nonchalant father for so many years, she develops in her heart, an unnatural hatred for all men, despising them all with a great passion. Risha (Farisha) hence makes it her full-time business to frustrate, ruin and destroy any unlucky prey she happens to pounce on. An insatiable frustration struggles within her leading to immoral habits, ever priding herself as the iron lady with a heart of stone, she is immune to love (or at least so she thought). She holds this notion of herself until she meets the calm, charismatic, humble, heart stopping ruggedly handsome and rather too "nice-quiet” Farhan, an upcoming lawyer in her father's company. To her out most disgust and anger, she finds her searching heart greatly attracted to this enigmatic character. For making her feel this supposed weakness, she develops what could be termed an “unnatural hatred and obsession”. In her own crazy way, she sets out to punish him in a way she had never punished anyone. And what better way than to trap him than in what she considered, the worst fate any could endure, “MARRIAGE". Will she succeed in her ruthless plan or will her searching heart betray? Find out in this heart stopping saga of love, hate and intrigue. "Risha is not evil, she is just mostly up to no good."

Five years later, Stella was released from prison—only to face the brutal vengeance of Joseph, the new Alpha. Convinced she had caused his father’s death, he tormented her mercilessly. Yet he never imagined the truth: the accident five years ago had been his father’s doing, and Stella had been innocent all along. Now, as Joseph realizes he’s fallen in love with her, where does that leave him?

My younger brother, Samuel, gave me a call and asked me to go to his university. However, his unusually serious tone took me aback. I rushed over to his counselling office, only to see him, his fellow counselors, and a female junior whom I had coincidentally helped in the last semester. The female junior, Sally, was covering her slightly protruding belly. She abruptly dropped to her knees before me in front of the counselors. “Honey, I know this unexpected pregnancy has put a lot of pressure on you. But you can’t just abandon me and our baby!” she choked back with tears. Then, she reached out to grab the hem of my clothes. However, I stepped back and left. Sally’s cries turned sharp and shrill. “You heartless jerk! How could you behave like this?! If I’d known that you’d pretend not to know me the second it was over, I would’ve never gone to a hotel with you!” One of the counselors looked furious, and he seemed furious beyond measure. “Kid, being young is no excuse. A man needs to take responsibility!” A crowd began to gather outside the office. Their pointing fingers and contemptuous stares nearly overwhelmed me. In the middle of the chaos, Samuel casually leaned against the wall and spoke with a drawl. “Chris, aren’t you going to stay and see your unborn baby?”

I've been in love for six years, but my wedding has been called off 99 times by the man who claims to love me most, the mafia boss, Daniel Reed. The first time is on a private island off the coast of Sorellia. He promises me a secret wedding. But an hour before the ceremony, he gets a call saying that his new assistant, Emily Jennings, has been taken by a rival family. Without a word, he leaves me behind and sails off into the night. The second time, we're standing at the altar, exchanging vows. His underboss then leans in and whispers, "Emily's in trouble." Daniel tears off his boutonniere and walks out without looking back. Emily has been kidnapped again—this time, near the border district. He leads an armed raid that very night while I'm left behind, becoming the laughingstock in the mafia's VIP lounges. No matter when I schedule the wedding, Emily always ends up in danger. And Daniel always runs to her without hesitation. Eventually, I realize I will never win against the reckless Gen Z assistant who constantly drags him into chaos. After the 99th cancellation, I decide to break up with him and disappear from Valemont. I move out overnight, erase every trace of myself, leaving nothing behind. But I never expect him to go completely mad. He shuts down the ports, searches every villa, and unleashes his entire family's intelligence network just to find me. His eyes burn red like a wild animal on the edge of collapse. "Elara," he growls, "just give me one more chance."

Jackie is a 38 year old divorcee who has two kids (13 year old Sam and 10 year old Dylan) and just happens to own and run 5’o Clock Ville, one of the hottest bars around, and is in desperate need of a bartender, amongst other things. Enter 26 year old heart throb, who just so happens to be a bad boy, Bobby, who is in need of a job. She hires him for his skills, but Bobby sure makes her see that everything didn’t die during her marriage. Can the bad boy be tamed? Can the divorcee learn to have fun again? What problems can arise from a little flirtation? He wasn’t looking for love and she wasn’t looking for marriage again; but just how deep were they willing to go to explore these new found feelings with each other?

After my sister's death, I signed a five-year contract marriage with her mafia husband, Horton Falcone. I became the stepmother to my five-year-old nephew, Luca. On my birthday, I wore my late sister's diamond cross necklace, not realizing what it was. At the family dinner, Luca walked up to me with a glass of red wine and threw the wine in my face. The red wine dripped down my cheeks, its sharp scent stinging my eyes and staining my white dress. He tilted his head back to look up at me, his eyes as cold and cruel as his father's. "Don't think you can replace my mom just because you married into the Falcone family," he said with a malicious grin. "You're the reason she's dead." "I wish you were the one who died. Then I could smash your gravestone instead of celebrating this stupid birthday." "I swear, when I grow up, the first thing I'll do is dump you in the Hudson River myself!" The memory stung as sharply as the wine, and all I could taste was despair. I stared at the child I had spent five years raising as my own, a sharp pain pulsing in my chest. I had thought I could devote myself to the Falcone family, that I could win him over with my love. But now, I was just so tired of it all. It was a family with no love, a child who saw me as his mortal enemy. I stopped deluding myself. It was time to let go. But after I left, that arrogant father and son came crawling back to me like whipped dogs, begging for my forgiveness.